Development of prototype micro fuel cells for mobile electronics

Abstract

We have made great progress in developing a new micro fuel cell (μ-FC) technology that enables the use of 30% methanol fuel solution - the highest ever reported for passive systems - and the fabrication of a prototype power unit for mobile phones with the following specifications: a cradle-shaped interconnection for W-CDMA mobile phones, 18 ml of 30% methanol solution to recharge the internal Li-ion battery of the mobile phone to enable 150 minutes of continuous talking and 400 minutes of stand-by. In this study, our attention was focused on evaluating the environmental impact of newly developed μ-FCs to gather data, which is essential in developing environmentally friendly products. In this regard, we first evaluated the effect of greenhouse gasses such as CO 2 exhaust during material production, cell manufacturing, distribution, use, and disposal of μ-FCs on global warming and ozone layer depletion. Then, we assessed the consequent impact on human health and the ecosystem as the society cost according to the LIME method. This evaluation revealed that the society cost of μ-FCs is only 5% that of LR6 (IEC) alkaline dry batteries for a 10 kWh energy supply if the same cartridge is used 10 times.